Old Faces, New Places
by Ghostwriter
Summary: Kris leaves.  Can Raintree get her back?
1. Leaving

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES

AUTHOR'S NOTE\DISCLAIMER

This is AU in that Wildfire has been sold. Wildfire belongs to ABC Family. I only own characters you don't recognize. I'm thinkin' that by now that Kris' parole is over and done. Not originally the way I planned it, but I'm happy with the end result.

CHAPTER ONE: LEAVING

Kris Furillo let out a sobbing gasp and tears rolled down her face as she ran to her room. She couldn't believe Wildfire had just been sold. The Ritters had betrayed her. To make things worse, Pablo had just resigned. _Well, fine. There's nothing left for me here. I'll just leave. Forget this place_, she thought to herself. With that, she began packing. She had to get away. She just---she had nothing left. Still crying, she picked up her cell phone, turned it on, and then dialed a number. There was a few moments of ringing, and then someone picked up.

"Yeah. Go," a male voice encouraged.

"Rod? It's Krissy," Kris announced.

"Krissy, what's wrong?" twenty-six-year old Rod Cooper asked.

"There's nothing left for me here. Nothing. They let me down. They betrayed me," Kris told him.

"You're leaving?" Rod questioned.

"Yeah. Can I---" Krissy began to ask.

"Absolutely," Rod interrupted.

"Thanks. I'll, uh---I'll get a bus ticket and meet you at your place in New York," Kris told him.

"I'll be waiting," Rod assured her. Then, she hung up and finished packing and gathering up her things. After she was done, she silently made her way downstairs. Without looking back, she stood tall and walked off the ranch. The next morning, Matt Ritter woke up and went to the kitchen.

"Kris? You hungry?" he asked. There was no answer. "Kris? I can get you some cereal!" he called, taking down one of the cardboard boxes. Again, there was no answer. He frowned. Why wasn't Kris responding? "Kris?" he asked. He walked back upstairs. "Kris?" he called.

"Matt?" Hearing his mother's voice, the teen turned around.

"Matt, what's going on?" Jean Ritter questioned.

"I can't find Kris," Matt responded.

"Kris?" Jean asked. They ran outside in search of the girl.

"She left," a voice told them. Mother and son turned to see Pablo Betart.

"Left?" they chorused.

"Yeah. Last night. She packed her things and walked out," Pablo replied.

"And you didn't stop her?" Jean asked.

"Why should I? You guys let her down. Let **us** down," Pablo reminded them.

"But, you're still gonna stay here, right?" Jean questioned.

"No. My resignation stands. Everything's packed and in the truck," Pablo said. With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving Matt and Jean to stare in surprise. A few minutes later, there was the sound of a truck engine. Matt and Jean turned to look at each other.

"What do we do now, Mom?" Matt wondered.

"I don't know," Jean confessed.


	2. Found But Lost

DISCLAIMER

Wildfire belongs to ABC Family. I only own characters you don't recognize. For this fic, New York and Raintree are only a couple of hours away.

THREE MONTHS LATER

Junior Davis walked into the club and looked around. Man, it sure was packed tonight. People were dancing to the music blaring over the speakers and the counter was filled up. He made his way over to the counter.

"Hey Sweetheart, can I get a beer?" a guy asked.

"Yeah, why not?" the bartender responded. "Oh, and uh---don't call me 'Sweetheart'," she continued, as she poured the beverage.

"Kris?" Junior asked in surprise, walking up.

"**You**," Kris said.

"You work here?" Junior questioned.

"The last three months," Kris confirmed. One of the men got up from the stool and Junior took his place.

"What can I get you? And keep in mind that you're under age," Kris told him.

"So are **you**," Junior pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I have an agreement with the owner of this place," Kris stated.

"What kind of agreement?" Junior wondered.

"None of your business," Kris told him.

"Come on, Kris. You can't possibly like it here. It's a seedy dump where people get completely drunk and hook up," Junior said. The girl sighed and busied herself.

"Come back. Everyone misses you," he encouraged.

"Right. Sure they do," she said.

"Kris," Junior said, placing a hand on her wrist.

"Leave me alone, Junior," Kris snapped, jerking her arm away.

"Kris, come on," Junior wheedled.

"Junior, no," Kris insisted.

"This guy botherin' you, Krissy?" a voice asked. The two turned their heads to see a muscular man who had suddenly appeared.

"As a matter of fact, he is, J.J. And I'd be really grateful if you threw him out," Kris told him.

"Okay, buddy. Come on," the man said, taking Junior's arm.

"Hey, wha---come on!" the boy protested. He was dragged off the stool. "Wha---Kris!" he called.

"Bye, Junior," she said. She blew out a breath. Thank God J.J. had gotten rid of him. She didn't need him or the Ritters coming back. She just wanted to be left alone. Things were good here. She didn't need anybody messing it up. Rod had been so great to her. She was happy now. There was no need for her to remember that place. It was in the past and she had moved on. She hoped they would do the same thing. She blew out another breath. Why had Junior come here? Was it just a coincidence? Meanwhile, Junior had turned on his cell and hit Matt's number on the speed dial.

"Hey, man. What's up?" Matt Ritter asked.

"You'll never believe it, but I just saw a friend of ours at a club called **Elixer**'**s**. Here's a hint: she used to ride for you," Junior reported.

"Kris? You saw Kris?" Matt asked.

"That's right. But she was totally cold. It was like she didn't even care about coming back," Junior responded.

"That doesn't make sense. Kris loves Raintree," Matt puzzled.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, maybe it's just **me** she doesn't want to talk to. Why don't **you** come down here and take a shot at it?" Junior proposed.

"That's a thought," Matt agreed. Then, they hung up. Matt frowned as his mother came in.

"What is it?" Jean asked.

"Junior just saw Kris in New York," Matt answered.

"What? Are you serious?" Jean questioned.

"Yeah. But she won't talk to him. We were thinking maybe she'd talk to me," Matt responded. It only took Jean a moment to decide. She wanted Kris to come back, and if anyone could convince her, it'd be Matt.

"Go ahead," the woman told her son. Matt ran to his car, got in, started the ignition, and took off. Two hours later, he was in New York. He drove around until he found the place he was looking for. He parked the car and walked up to the entrance, only to be intercepted by the bouncer.

"I.D.," he said. Matt showed him his driver's license and was let in. Then, he walked up to the bar.

"Kris?" he questioned.

"What is this? 'Blast From the Past' Day?" Kris asked in irritability. "What do you want, Matt?" she questioned.

"For you to come home," Matt answered.

"I **am** home," Kris responded.

"Yeah, but Kris---" Matt's voice trailed off as her eyes lit up. He turned around to see a boy with chestnut hair, wearing blue jeans and a leather jacket.

"Kris!" the guy yelled.

"Tony!" she exclaimed. Matt watched as they ran towards each other. Then, they kissed passionately. And it was then that Matt knew that they had lost Kris forever.

THE END


End file.
